Brighton cat cafe slammed by charity

An animal charity has warned that cat cafes can be stressful for animals.

Cats Protection is opposing plans for a new cat cafe to open in Brighton and told the BBC: "Cats have evolved from a solitary hunter and they don't really have any need to have friends or companionship.

"Cats can be stressed by being in close proximity with many of their own kind, and so the whole principle of a cat cafe when they're having eight, 10, 12 or more cats within a confined space - that can be very stressful."

"You have an ever-changing population of humans coming in and they will expect contact from cats because they're paying for that contact - and the cats may not want the contact."

Jon Ely and Keri Craddock plan to open cat cafe Koneka in Brighton in March.

But Cats Protection believes that people who care about the animals would not want them "exploited as a gimmick to sell coffee".

A cat cafe in London is set to open soon. Lady Dinah's Cat Emporium will be located in Shoreditch after Tower Hamlets Council approved plans for visitors to play with the cats while having a cup of coffee.